And a star violinist is born (May 22, 2003)

Hoang Ho Khanh Van is one more illustration to support the fact that age is no limit for talent.

The five-year-old girl from Ha Noi swept the first prize at the Spring Chord Festival in Minsk, capital of the Republic of Belarus, for her astonishing violin performance.

Van strock the right chords to win the judges’ hearts and came first in one of two categories of the music competition.

The contest for musicians aged under 15 attracted 82 violinists and cellists in March. Van was the youngest competitor and earned the highest acclaim. News of the prodigy’s victory spread all around Minsk.

Born in Minsk to a Vietnamese family, Van is growing up in a world of music. Her mother is a music lecturer for the Ha Noi Conservatory of Music and is now completing a master’s degree in music in Minsk.

Van’s family noticed expressions of her passion for violin when she was just two years old. She is also top of her class in Minsk in a number of subjects. — VNS